Tsunami Relief Work At Kayamkulam By OCYM

KAYAMKULAM: The Orthodox Christian Youth Movement (OCYM) will observe Sunday the 2nd of January as a Tsunami Relief Sunday according to the Kalpana released from the President H. G. Yoohanon Mar Meletius. All the OCYM units are asked to send their donations to The General Secretary Fr. Varghese Varghese or to Rev. Fr. Abey Philip at Kayamkulam who is coordinating the relief work there. ” I am happy to see that the response has been so over whelming”, said Metropolitan Yoohanon Mar Meletius.

In the affected areas of Kerala, Mar Meletius made a personal visit shortly after the disaster. “The scene was heart breaking. Thousands of people have lost every thing they had at home either by the killer wave or by the antisocial miscreants who used the situation to steal things from vacant homes. Hundreds of homes were destroyed in full and some in part. Those damaged cannot be used for security reason”, continued Mar Meletius.

Until last Saturday, the voluntary organizations were permitted to distribute food and clothing to the victims in hospitals and in temporary relief camps. Now the government has asked the volunteer organizations to back off and the government machinery had taken over the relief work. More over piles of cloth are left without any one to collect them.

“When the rehabilitation work begins, the government will need us to support them with money to construct homes and to buy boats, nets and other equipments for their livelihood in the affected costal areas. So if any units has collected cloths, medicines of food materials do not send them to Kerala. It may be needed in Tamil Nadu or in Andamans” Mar Meletius added .

The collected money, may send to Fr. Varghese Varghese, General Secretary, OCYM, St. Thomas Bhavan, Seminary Road, Chungom, Kottayam, Tel. 0481 2583997 (Account # 16957 Federal Bank Kottayam). The collected money will be disbursed later on when the rehabilitation work starts.

“Earlier the authorities allowed OCYM to establish two camps one in Kayamkulam Taluk hospital and one in Karunagappally. Along with all other NGO’s OCYM was also asked to suspend that kind of work for a while. The Chief Minister Mr. Oommen Chandy has already said that the help will be needed in future for rehabilitation.

“We will do whatever we can when and where needed with the money collected” concluded Mar Meletius

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